By Carl Zebrowski
Editor

From the buzzing lobby of the Paul C. Empie Theatre at Muhlenberg College before the “Unity in the Community 2.0: Broadway Celebrates the Lehigh Valley” show began, to the packed seats and dynamic performances inside, to the stars posing afterward for pictures with the guests, the Jewish community of the Lehigh Valley enjoyed a festive, uplifting, and empowering handful of hours on Thursday night, May 28. 

Once the audience members filtered through the theater doors and took their ticketed seats, Dr. Marc Abo, co-chair of the event along with his wife, Aliette, welcomed the audience under the multicolored lights of the stage. “It’s so great to be called Dr. Abo,” he said, “because so often in this part of town, I’m called Mr. Aliette or Aliette’s husband. 

“For Aliette this was a labor of love and a commitment to the community. Her tireless efforts have bought this night to fruition with great attention to detail.” Aliette herself would point out, and the event playbill documented, that a long list of volunteers, sponsors, ticketholders, and others collectively made the night happen.

With that, Emmy Award-winning comedian Judy Gold took the stage. She told the audience she’s been to Israel six times. She went to see her son play basketball in the Maccabi Games, “the Jewish Olympics,” she said, making special note that athletics wasn’t exactly what the Jewish people are known for. 

“They just added an accounting competition,” she said. “This guy did three tax returns in 11 minutes.”

Her most recent trip to Israel was bad timing. It was June 2025, when Iran started firing missiles. Sirens went off and she ran for cover. “We spent most of the visit in bomb shelters,” she said. “I learned a lot about myself. When an alarm goes off, I actually can get out of bed!”

Gold soon returned home to New York City, only to be reminded of the antisemitism so often found there these days. She remembered how her dad hardly ever mentioned antisemitism. But then there was her mom. “My mother constantly talked about antisemitism,” she said. “We made so much fun of her. But she was right.”

“Everyone hates us,” Gold continued. “Because we’re superior!” 

Gold ended by thanking Wayne Gmitter, the talent agent who came up with the idea for this Broadway night. Gmitter is a non-Jew who had grown increasingly distraught by the attacks on Israel and Jewish people in recent years. He called Gold, whom he represents, to talk about it. This night was the eventual result. 

“Get your DNA tested,” Gold later told him, “because there’s a Jew in there.” He did exactly that. The result? “Ten percent Ashkenazi!”

Gold handed over the mic to John Lloyd Young, star of the Tony Award-winning musical “The Jersey Boys” that opened on Broadway in 2005. Young played the young Franki Valli in that documentary-style production about Franki Valli and the Four Seasons.

In a falsetto with power that rivaled Valli’s own, he worked a few of the best-known Four Seasons tunes into his song list. Among them were “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” and “My Eyes Adored You.” The crowd clapped along, as it often did during his time on stage, and sang choruses when he cued them.

One of the moving memories Young related from his showbiz career was working with a certain older actor on a dramatic adaptation of Chaim Potok’s novel “The Chosen.” He and the actor, who had grown up in Nazi Europe, became friends. “He watched Hitler march down the street,” Young remembered. 

It struck him that people aren’t naturally antisemitic. “You’ve got to be taught to be afraid,” he said, “taught to be bigoted, prejudiced, taught who to hate.” 

Young ended his segment of the night with a powerful version of the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah.” He put on sunglasses—probably in anticipation of getting as watery-eyed as the audience did. “It’s always touched me, the project and promise of Israel,” he said before the music began. “And that will never change.”

The final performer of the night, Andrea McArdle, stepped into the lights with her famous long red hair, wearing a bright red evening gown. “I’m also an ally of all of you,” the Bucks County native who played the original Annie on Broadway told the audience. “And that will never change.”

In her iconic voice, she sang “New York, New York,” the tune Frank Sinatra made famous, about her second home, and Billy Joel’s “Your My Home,” about the home that’s anywhere you are with the people who mean the most to you. 

She brought up an incident that occurred during a touring variety show a few years after she’d played Annie on Broadway. The legendary actress and singer Carol Channing was also on the tour and overheard McArdle saying she was tired of having to do “Tomorrow” at every performance. “That’s your signature song,” she told McArdle, adding that not every singer is so lucky to have one. “It was that day that I made peace with the song,” McArdle said.

The time had come. “With what’s going on in the world of all of you, all of us,” McArdle told the Lehigh Valley audience, “it’s nice to have a handy little song that can maybe lift your spirits a little bit.”

McArdle launched into “Tomorrow,” surprising the audience by bringing out the kids of the JCC Stagemakers Youth Theater group to join her for the final choruses. The audience rose to their feet as the night concluded with a standing ovation.

Inspired audience members took their time leaving their seats and climbing the stairs to exit. In the lobby, the three stars came out to chat and pose for photos. 

Soon the lobby cleared and workers wrapped up. It was a wonderful evening for everyone from performer to patron—an energizing and inspiring, long, emotional evening.